Tag: wine review

If you’re a regular in Asda you might have noticed that the retailer has brought out a new sparkling wine to catch the attention of prosecco drinkers.

The sparkling wine world is increasingly popular in the UK but very crowded. Every time a butterfly flutters its wings, a new sparkling wine is born, each one trying to take a piece of that marketplace.

Progrigio (£5, 11% abv) is Asda’s new sparkling wine and I’m told that it is “a unique wine that blends the effervescent versatility of the bestselling sparkling wine grape in the world, glera, and the classic full flavours and crisp acidity of the wine which has become a worldwide symbol of Italian winemaking, pinot grigio”. I know this because I read it here at Progrigio.com.

What do I think of it? I’m making life difficult for myself with a mini- Scientific Experiment.

I was in Asda a couple of days ago and spotted a cava, also for a fiver. I love cava and think it’s massively overlooked by fizz lovers.

I bought Marques Del Norte Cava (11.5% abv) and challenged myself to a fizz-off with these two wines. I’ve given points out of 5 on bubble strength, aromas, the taste and overall impression. Yes. I’m sitting on the settee doing this right now on my own. Call me sad.

Marques Del Norte:

Bubbles
This cava enjoyed being poured – 3 marksAromas
Cava is made in the same way as champagne which means there’s aromas of fresh apples, citrus, and newly-baked buttery bread – 3 marksTaste
Apple, a touch of caramel (like the edges of a crispy apple pie); the juiciness retains some flavour after you’ve sipped – 3 marks

Overall impression – 3 marks

I’ll leave you to do the sums.
(Because I’ve never been very good at sums.)

Here we are, December 4th, and my first sweet wine of the 24-day wine advent calendar countdown. You might not want a sweet wine; it’s Sunday so you might be wanting a red with your roast. But let me get this out of my system because I love sweet wines.

Here’s the story of this one. When I go to walk-round wine tastings with my pal Cambo, tradition dictates that we start with sparkles, then head for the whites, then the reds, then finally make a beeline for the sweetie table which is the biggest treat of them all.

The sweetie this time was at a wine fair organised by the delightful Mike Stoddart, manager of Oddbins in Liverpool and was held in the Crypt at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral (nicknamed Paddy’s Wig Wam by the Scouse wags here).

I’d done a visual sweep of the room when I arrived – where were the sweeties? – and with ten minutes to go before “last orders” were called I headed to the Australia table and smiled nicely at the young chap pouring tastings of the De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon.

The smile worked a treat, as you can see.

Eerrmm … yes. I asked the chap to pour a generous measure

De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon

Where’s it from: Australia. The region is Riverina in New South Wales.Find out more here

I’ll tell you some more: I fell in love with sweet wines when I visited Sauternes a couple of years ago. The wines are delicious in themselves (it’s odd that I love them so much because I don’t have a sweet tooth when it comes to food) but more than anything I admire the way these wines are made. Patience and skill beyond measure. And who on earth discovered that mouldy grapes could produce such amazing wines.

Eeeeek!! Mouldy? Well, yes. Don’t look away in disgust just yet …. Botrytis cinerea is a mould which develops on grapes if the conditions are just right. It needs damp misty mornings and warm dry afternoons. The rot – known as noble rot – weakens grape skins, so the water evaporates, the grapes shrivel, and the sugars and acids intensify. The grapes are then hand-picked one by one over many days by incredibly patient people.

The grape: Semillon – other grape varieties are also susceptible to noble rot.

What of the taste? Oh my. It has aromas of marmalade, and apricots, and honey, and lemon citrus, and pear, and vanilla, and – oh – the taste – the same fruity sweet richness is offset by a cleansing acidity. Which sets you up nicely for another glass. Yummmmyyyy.

The small print. It is 11% abv and was marked at £9 for the 37.5cl bottle on the Australia table. Mike tells me he still has about a dozen bottles in the Liverpool Oddbins shop but you might have to hurry.

I’ve also found it here on Amazon for £45.57 for a case of six, which equates to about £7.60 each.

And you don’t have to think desserts for this wine. It would be perfect next to slithers of blue cheese.